The energy efficiency and battery life of a computing device, such as a mobile phone or a laptop, can be negatively impacted by the processor executing background applications that do not require direct user interaction, such as maintenance or communication activities. From the perspective of a user, background applications may add little value to the overall experience of using a computing device because the background applications cannot be directly interacted with by the user. Furthermore, background applications are often inefficient and negatively impact the battery life of mobile devices.